Xi Jinping opened the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China Wednesday with a pledge to build a beautiful China with blue skies and clean air. Sure, the country is still run by a Communist Party that brooks no competition. Today's Communist Party leaders are professional politicians, and no one more so than China's Communist-in-chief Xi Jinping. But even if he steps down, he will remain a popular force in Chinese politics, China's first populist president. With another five years in office all but assured, Xi will almost certainly preside over the 100th birthday of the Communist Party in 2021.

Source: Forbes October 20, 2017 07:30 UTC